Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken with Black Bean and Corn Salad

The past three months found me as captain on a 98’ Destiny cruising for in the Bahamas. There are some terrific grocers in Nassau and Port Lucaya.  The third best place to provision is in Marsh Harbour. I was pleased to find a supermarket on par with anything stateside and relatively close to the marina we were moored at. However, for specialty dishes, it is wise to bring anything exotic like jicama and chipotle peppers. Point in fact; Cinco de Mayo was this month and I wanted to treat the owners and guests to a feast. With plenty of planning, I was able to pull off a meal so muy delicioso, that the owners and guests gave four thumbs up. Do not wait a year to prepare this meal.

 



 

Chicken Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp. tequila
1 tbsp. lime zest, from
2 limes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¼ tsp. ancho chili powder
½ tsp. ground coriander
¼ tsp. dried oregano
1 ¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp. honey
1 lime, sliced into wedges

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients except for chicken in a 1 gallon zip lock bag. Kneed the bag thoroughly to mix the ingredients. Pound the chicken breast until ½ inch thick. Add chicken to marinate bag and massage the meat until evenly coated. Refrigerate for 6 hours, or overnight.

On a BBQ grill set to high heat, wipe the grill with vegetable oil on a paper towel with tongs. Place chicken on the grill and baste with remaining marinate. Grill, covered, for 3 minutes a side, turning only once. Plate and serve with guacamole, margaritas and  lime wedges.

Black Bean and Corn with Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette Dressing

Ingredients for Salad:

2 ears fresh corn
1 c. chopped red onion
1 (14 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. diced red bell pepper
½ c. loosely packed chopped cilantro
1 avocado

Ingredients for Dressing:

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 large clove garlic coarsely chopped
¼ tsp. dried oregano
¾ tsp. cumin
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (peppers, not the whole can)

Preparation:

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add corn, cover and turn heat to low. Simmer corn for no more than 10 minutes. Remove from pot and let cool. In the meantime, place chopped onion in a bowl and cover with water for about 10 minutes, then drain is thru a sieve and set aside. Hold the corn upright in a large bowl and cut the kernels into strips. Add beans, red bell pepper, red onion and cilantro. In a blender, combine all of the dressing ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour dressing on salad and toss well. Cover salad and refrigerate for at least an hour. Before serving, dice up an avocado and toss it in the salad. Serve with cilantro and lime garnish. Buen provecho, JW